When most people think about web accessibility, they picture screen readers and colour contrast ratios. Cognitive accessibility rarely gets a seat at the table, and that gap affects millions.
What is cognitive accessibility
Cognitive accessibility ensures people with intellectual, learning, or mental-health-related disabilities can process and understand information.
It also benefits:
- aging users,
- people under stress,
- those with low digital literacy, and
- anyone navigating a site in a second language.
Design for cognitive accessibility and you design for nearly everyone.
Why it matters in Canada
In Canada, cognitive accessibility isn’t optional. WCAG Level AA, the level required by Canadian law under both AODA and the Accessible Canada Act, includes several cognitive criteria.
With the federal Digital Technologies Accessibility Regulations coming into force in 2027–2028, cognitive barriers in websites, apps, and documents are explicitly in scope.
According to Statistics Canada’s 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, 27% of Canadians aged 15 and older—8 million people—live with at least one disability, a figure that has risen five percentage points since 2017. Cognitive and mental health-related disabilities account for much of that increase.
How to apply it
The practical principles are less technical and more editorial than most designers expect.
- Plain language: short sentences, common words, and definitions for technical terms.
- Consistent navigation: menus, search, and controls stay place across pages.
- Reduced cognitive load: clear headings, predictable layouts, and minimal visual clutter.
- Error-tolerant forms: forgiving inputs, clear instructions, and helpful error messages.
- WCAG 2.2 additions: Redundant Entry and Accessible Authentification (no memory tests, no CAPTCHAs)
Tools to get started
- For automated scanning:
Note: Automated tools catch structural issues, but cognitive accessibility always benefits from real users and strong editorial standards.- WAVE by WebAim (free online checker, free browser extension, paid API & Testing Engine)
- Axe by Deque (free browser extension, with Pro and Enterprise tiers available) catch structural issues quickly.
- For real-user validation:
- Fable (paid), a Toronto-based accessibility platform, provides access to a pre-vetted, on-demand panel of testers with cognitive accessibility needs related to focus, memory, and reading and writing, along with standardized, repeatable research methods.
- For guideline reference:
- W3C’s COGA (Cognitive and Learning Disabilities Accessibility) guidance. It goes beyond WCAG’s mandatory rules and is the most thorough framework available.
- W3C COGA Design Patterns — Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities — this is the companion document to the COGA guidance with practical patterns document designers actually use day-to-day.
- CAN-ASC-3.1:2025, Canada’s first National Standard on plain language published by Accessibility Standards Canada in October 2025. It’s the most authoritative Canadian reference for the content side of cognitive accessibility, and it’s free.
- Canada.ca Content Style Guide, the federal government’s plain language writing standard for web content. Practical, free, and directly applicable to the content side of cognitive accessibility.
- Accessibility Standards Canada, the federal body itself. Beyond CAN-ASC-3.1, their site houses research, standards in development, and plain-language summaries. Worth linking as a general “bookmark this” resource.
- Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC), based at OCAD University in Toronto. They produced the original inclusive design framework and have free tools and guides specifically around cognitive and learning disabilities.
- Hemingway Editor | Free, browser-based readability checker. Flags complex sentences, passive voice, and reading grade level.
Cognitive accessibility isn’t a niche concern. It’s a website that works for everyone.